Manchester United and Leo Messi are most popular but Germany leads the way in winning over Chinese football fans online
Red Card digital report shows Italy’s Serie A is still lagging behind while Real Madrid see biggest improvement in their popularity
Despite not touring China in the summer, Manchester United are still the most popular team in the country, according to the Red Card 2018 China Digital Football Awards.
Shanghai-based agency Mailman’s annual report, now in its seventh year, also announced the most popular Europe-based player and league across Chinese social media alongside five new awards.
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi was named the most popular player following a successful midyear relaunch of his Chinese-language social media channels, gaining over a million followers and also having the most engaged post of the year for any player or club.
Messi took the crown from last year’s winner, Cristiano Ronaldo, of Real Madrid, who finished in second place in the top five for 2017.